CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

Across 1.

How could she eat it and be in doubt? (8)

5. It’s not easy to find carbon in a fright (6)

10. A vague, unfinished sort of fruit (5) 11. Nine Paul’s taken from a strip of land (9)

12. It allays pain if one has done any wrong (7)

13. Malicious gossip lads can spread around (7)

14. Is as zealous as a trend can be (6) 16. Undersea mark, one is told, called one out (7)

19. He shoes horses for a friar with some hesitancy (7)

21. Complete tree in the making of it (6)

25. Put bits on to mend the PC ad maybe (7)

26. Go and look for the ox leper turned out (7)

28. Delicious sex one is quiet about

(9)

29. Swap it for a skilled occupation (5) 30. Has a horror of adders, it might be (6) 31. Loud-voiced scout-leader takes a three-pronged spear (8)

Down

1. Many a hog is upset on New Year’s Eve (8)

2. Suffering from a dose of shellfish, say (7)

3. A sycophant was turned out today (5)

4. Give a hand-out to favourite in form of a fur cape (6)

6. Transmission of disease: go and contain it this way (9)

7. Old rune that represented a ladder rung (7)

8. Make it possible for one to be lean perhaps (6)

9. It’s a flavour, I see, and it gets around (7)

15. It’s a bore, as it’s joined by this blow (5,4)

17. Plant uses it to climb out of forgotten drill (7)

18. Carrying off the net freed of it (8) 20. It’s quite an alteration to a bit of old furniture (7)

22. Prehistoric time when a region was changed (4,3) 23. Add on enclosure in a sort of pad (6) 24. Abandon one’s post in the Gobi (6) 27. Put it up to the angelic boys in art (5)